This is a story about a woman who's obsessed with beauty, and how the one thing that she was passionate about led her to her most haunting experience yet.

This is a story about Jeverica.

Jeverica was a beautician. Her life was all about making people beautiful, telling them what makeup to wear, or what skin care to take. But above all else, she was obsessed with her own face.

Jeverica was beautiful, and her face was the one assest that brought her good fortune and a good career. Her skin was so pristine and clear, people would always ask for advice so they too could have a skin like hers.

But to maintain that fame and high status and appraisal from everyone who knew her, Jeverica lived a tough life. She would do anything to make her face even more beautiful than it already was, even if it meant applying creams five times a day, never stepping out of the sun without sunscreen, drinking all the good teas and eating all the good fruits. It didn't matter to her because she was happy, but she wanted more.

One day while on a shopping spree at a mall, Jeverica came across a little beauty shop she didn't notice before.
Wanting to be the first to explore new products she could try and tell her customers about it, she walked in confidently and eager.

The saleslady who's also the sole owner of the place informed Jeverica that her shop wasn't new, it just wasn't very famous that's why only few people visit her shop.

"Trust me, I'm really popular. Within days, if your product is good, you'll get famous. With me, you will get hundreds even thousands of customers. So what do you recommend?" Jeverica asked, thinking so highly of herself.

The saleslady, who seemed a little older to be working as a saleslady, pale and already wrinkled in the face, laughed a little and said to Jeverica that her face was already beautiful, why would she want more?

Jeverica replied that being beautiful was a huge responsibility which took a lot of beauty products in order to keep such beauty.

"Beauty don't last forever." She said.

The saleslady went ahead and introduced Jeverica to the basic creams and moisturizers.
But Jeverica wasn't impressed.

"No, I've seen a lot like these in my lifetime. What do you have that's not in any other beauty shop in the world?" Jeverica asked.

The saleslady smiled at her, intrigued. "We do have a very special cream that's brought change to several people. Unfortunately we only offer to people who are worthy of it."

"Worthy? What do you mean?" Jeverica asked, a little offended.

"I mean people who are in need of change. You, in fact don't need change at all. You already look so perfect." The saleslady said .

But Jeverica was desperate. She wanted to get a taste of whatever it was that was so special in the shop, feeling hurt of not being called worthy for something like it.

"Very well." The saleslady obliged after Jeverica pleaded. "It's in here." She walked to a different room and Jeverica followed.

It was a small room, and in the center was a round table lined with creams in transparent little jars with red ribbons tied around the brim. It looked magical.

"I have to warn you. This cream contains healing properties. It restores true beauty and fixes all the blemishes you have within yourself."

"Yeah, yeah." Jeverica said, but she wasn't paying attention to the saleslady. She was enchanted with the jars and the creams.

"I want to buy them." Jeverica declared loudly.

The saleslady looked at her for a moment. "You know, true beauty lies within you, not just out as seen in your face." She said.

"I know that. I'm kind to people. Everyone said that I too, am a life changer. You should just meet the people I've changed into a better version of themselves." Jeverica remarked.

The saleslady didn't say anything, except took a jar and led Jeverica to the cashier.

After paying and having the cream packed, Jeverica quickly left and went straight home to test the product out.

It was already evening, and time for a night skin care routine.

Jeverica neglected her several previous creams and took the one cream to the mirror. She studied it closely, suddenly suspicious that there wasn't any label on it.
But she was desperate to find out the magic that it claimed to have.

"Hm, let's see if you can really bring change."

Jeverica applied little at first, applying it to the little to none imperfections on her face, and went to bed.

The next morning, she woke up and went straight to the mirror.

She was shocked.

Her face glowed with such beauty she'd never seen. Excited and thrilled of the product, she called a friend and told her about the exciting news.

"It's good that you're in a great mood, the talk later should go perfect as planned." Her friend on the phone said.

"Oh, right. I have an interview later. Thanks for reminding me, I got to go prep!"

Jeverica squealed excitedly.

The day went by quickly. At the interview, people were enchanted by Jeverica's glow. People were saying they haven't seen such beautiful face ever.
Jeverica was a princess in the throne.

That evening, Jeverica applied more and more, expecting to get more glow in the next morning.

She woke up to just that.

She started to get more popular than ever. People were starting to get curious of what she did.

However, she didn't tell them the truth. Hungry for fame, she didn't want anybody else to have the perfect skin like hers. She selfishly wanted to be the only person who had such beautiful face, fearing that if she shared her secret, people might not pay attention to her much.

On just the third night, the cream was already running out.
Jeverica applied so much and so heavily that it ran out in just three days.

She finished the whole jar and decided to buy more the next morning.

But it wasn't to be.

As Jeverica woke up the next morning, expecting the same glow she's been mooned over for the past few days, what she saw reflected in the mirror shocked her out of fright.

She let out an ear-splitting scream as she looked at her face.

It wasn't beautiful.

It wasn't glowing.

Her skin's changed.



••• End of Part 1•••

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© IllegnaTheScribbler

Cover story credit: The Cursed Bride by iBralui on DeviantArt